Monday, January 17, 2011

This is a good thing, right?

Starting pitcher:
M.C. O'Connor

Isn't it grand? The Giants are going to be the subject of a new TV show. That's right, along with already being a TV show at least 162 times in a six-month stretch, the 2011 Giants are going to be the subject of a season-long Showtime series. The gushing from all the right orifices was on-message:

"This new series is one I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember," said David Nevins, President of Entertainment, Showtime Networks. "Having produced Friday Night Lights, I've received numerous pitches over the years for scripted shows about the world of professional sports, but nothing can capture the drama and intensity of the real thing. We are both honored and excited to have the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants grant this extraordinary access. The diversity, passion, and larger-than-life personalities of the players, their manager Bruce Bochy, and front office, led by Managing General Partner and CEO Bill Neukom, General Manager Brian Sabean and President Larry Baer, came together to achieve the club's historic World Series win. I'm confident that this group of personalities will make for a provocative and groundbreaking television series that will appeal beyond the hardcore baseball fan to all viewers who appreciate great drama."

Thanks, David. That's quite a mouthful. Rock on.

"We're constantly seeking new programming platforms to bring our fans closer to the game, and this new series will do exactly that in a very exciting fashion, thanks in large part to the tremendous group of personalities that make up the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants" said Chris Tully, Major League Baseball Senior Vice President, Broadcasting. "We're excited to work with Showtime on this project and are grateful to the Giants organization and its players for embracing the goal of giving fans a look inside their world."

MLB has to chime in, of course. Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching.

"The Giants are delighted to work with Showtime and Major League Baseball Productions on this exciting new project," said Giants President and Chief Operating Officer Larry Baer. "Showtime and MLB Productions' reputations for producing high quality, compelling content speak for themselves. I have no doubt that this series will break new ground and will enable our team to forge an even closer connection with our fans and the public at large."

The Giants Front Office is the most progressive, forward-looking, and accomplished of all sports franchises anywhere. Duh.

So, I leave it to you my loyal and faithful fans, friends, followers, readers, hecklers, critics, and lurkers: is this a good thing? Are the 2011 Giants--the defending champs--closer to defending their 2010 World Series Championship by being on Showtime? Or would they be better off without it? Or am I worrying too much? It's a brave new world this here 21st century! What's a few more megabits added to the massive media stream we all swim in? Tweet, twerp, twat, who cares? It's all on-line all the time! It's instant! It's everywhere! It makes us all better! It makes everything better! Go Giants! Win the World Series again!

8 comments:

Lowell Cohn with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat wrote a column on this subject. He made a very interesting case for this being a bad idea - mostly due to the "sanctity of the clubhouse" being sacrifice, potentially revealing things that should stay un-revealed.

I think that this is a bad idea. People like Brian Wilson already get themselves involved in too many contrived made for TV moments. Some of them are funny, in moderation. With a platform like this show, that kind of stuff will just get repetitive & annoying. What's going to happen when he blows a save the day after taping a new installment of 'The Machine's Bookmobile' for the Showtime series? I know that I'll be pissed off. Too many silly distractions. Stick to baseball - involving even more dopey media people is a bad idea.

We're beginning to learn what it's going to be like as WS champs in the age of YouTube, Facebook, et al. And after they repeat, which I absolutely guarantee, it's just going to get worse, or better, depending on your POV.

It's a brave new world. These guys are on TV all the time. It's part of being a professional athlete these days. My first reaction was like yours, Ron. The more I thought about, though, the more my reaction tended toward "meh." It think the Sully video makes a good point--the Giants are young, exciting, hip, marketable, and GOOD. It's natural TV material! Remember that these are all "videogame generation" kids--they are a lot less fazed by cameras and the new on-line 24/7 world than us old codgers. It's part of the sports landscape and it ain't going away.

The real question for me is can the team stay healthy and avoid killer injuries. Everyone in the league is going to be gunning for the Giants. Look at Philly--they got the best FA pitcher just so they could compete with us! The Giants are already going to see an uptick in crowds/intensity on road trips. There will already be increased scrutiny by the national media. This "show" might turn out to have benefits, like a little comic relief from the overblown, overwrought analysis everynight on KNBR, CSN, ESPN, etc. The team might have some fun with it!